:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/frying-pan-cooking-071625-1-dd1394cff2e140f28b8905f4ceb65629.jpg)
NEED TO KNOW
- Matt Bright accidentally set himself alight while cooking for his 4-year-old daughter on July 7
- Nearly half of the teacher’s body was burned in the accident, according to Yahoo News
- “He is receiving the very best care. And he is still with us. That is what we are holding onto,” his sister Ella wrote on a GoFundMe page
A man has been left severely burned in a kitchen fire accident while cooking dinner for his 4-year-old daughter in Australia.
On July 7, Matt Bright was cooking his family dinner when he accidentally set himself alight. He was airlifted to the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where he remains in the ICU, according to a GoFundMe page.
“My beautiful brother Matt was seriously injured in a kitchen fire while cooking dinner for his little girl, Bella. What should have been a quiet night at home turned into a sudden and life-changing nightmare,” Matt’s sister Ella wrote. “…His condition is still serious, but it has stabilised.”
According to Yahoo News, the incident happened when the frying pan the teacher was cooking with suddenly caught fire. He was wearing a highly flammable hoodie, which burst into flames, and left him with burns to 40% of his body, per the outlet.
It’s understood Bright’s daughter was the only one home with him at the time and that she led emergency responders to her dad in the kitchen after they arrived, per the outlet and and the Daily Mail.
MICK TSIKAS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Bright underwent his first surgery on his 32nd birthday on July 9, according to the GoFundMe page.
“There will be many more in the days and weeks ahead,” Ella wrote. “He is receiving the very best care. And he is still with us. That is what we are holding onto.”
“Matt is so many things. He is a dad, a husband, a son, a brother, a nephew, a grandson, a godson, a brother-in-law, a son-in-law and a friend. He is gentle, kind, thoughtful, strong,” she continued.
“This page has been created to help [Matt’s wife] Claire, Bella, and all of us get through what lies ahead. Your donation will go towards medical costs, accommodation, travel, time away from work, and the many unexpected things that come with trauma.”
The GoFundMe page so far has raised $33,650 AUD ($21,934) in donations, nearly reaching its goal of $35,000.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Matt’s dad Hugh Bright said, “If I focus on what happened last week, I cry.”
“If I think into the future about what might be, I cry … all of us are so shocked,” Hugh continued. “We’re just taking one day at a time.”
Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Bright is a member of the football club Waratah Mayfield Cheetahs.
The team wrote in a statement on Facebook, “In the last week, the Cheetahs have been hit with some devastating news about our teammate, Matt Bright. There has now been a go fund page set up for our cheetah Matty to support him and his family, if able, please share and donate.”
On the GoFundMe page, Ellie thanked the football club for their support, along with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter team and ICU doctors and nurses looking after Bright in the hospital.
“Every single person has brought us hope and reassurance when we’ve needed it most,” she wrote.
